Laura Strengthens to Hurricane; Takes Aim at Texas and Louisiana Coast

Spring, Texas – All eyes are on the tropics while Texas and Louisiana prepare for impacts of what could become a major hurricane.

Within the last hour, the National Hurricane Center has upgraded Laura to a category one hurricane after hurricane hunters found evidence of 75 MPH winds inside the storm. The storm is expected to intensify over the next 36-40 hours before making landfall somewhere between Freeport, Texas, and southwestern Louisiana early Thursday morning.

Now that Hurricane Laura is in the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, forecast confidence should increase as we get through the day today.

The City of Galveston issued mandatory evacuations for everyone on the island as of 6:00 AM Tuesday morning.

Tropical Storm watches have already been issued for a large portion of southeast Texas including Harris and Montgomery counties. We expect additional watches and warnings to be issued as the storm approaches.

“Given the fast forward motion and large wind files with #Laura….strong winds will impact areas well inland likely for 150-200 miles. Be prepared for widespread wind damage well inland and power outages.” Jeff Linder – Harris County Flood Control District

We are eagerly awaiting the next update from the National Hurricane Center. From there we will be able to better pinpoint what we can expect here in the Houston area.

IMPORTANT LINKS:

• Follow Spring Happenings on Facebook for the Latest Updates
• Track the Storms Using our Free Interactive Radar
• Harris County Hurricane Preparedness and Evacuation Guide
• National Hurricane Center